¨QUICK HITS

(On Terrell Owens):

Randy Cross: We've learned one thing this week.  We have learned the title of T.O.'s new book - that's basically - "Little T does not play well with others."  He's had a tumultuous week.  It's hard to separate passion and love for the game from a childish tantrum.  A lot of this seems like a childish tantrum...Football is not a democracy, guys.  You've got to work with, and for, people...Bill Parcells, their head coach, went to an interesting source for advice on dealing with petulant players.  He went to Bobby Knight, the head basketball coach at Texas Tech.

James Brown: Do you believe that there is a conspiracy in Dallas to deny T.O. the ball?  

Boomer Esiason: After all the stuff that we've heard this weekend, two weeks ago, Sports Illustrated wrote an article and in that article Drew Bledsoe said, I don't have a problem with Terrell Owens.  I don't have a problem with the way he practices and the way he plays.  But after this past week and the dropped balls and the comments in the press conferences after and his actions, I can tell you right now that there are players that are sick of him already.  Drew Bledsoe's got to be sick of him and he won't say anything...

Shannon Sharpe: What about ex-players? 

Boomer: They're sick of him, too. I do not believe in any way, shape or form, manufactured in this man's brain or anybody else's, that there is a conspiracy against him.

(On 5 Most Disappointing Quarterbacks so far):

Sharpe: My fifth most disappointing quarterback would probably be Jake Plummer...they've only scored 48 points as a team and that's not going to get it down.  My fourth one is Daunte Culpepper. He's been sacked 22 times. That's just totally unacceptable.  Steve McNair, and I know their record - they're 4-1 - but you cannot keep living on the edge.  You can't have a 50% completion percentage and a 60% quarterback rating.  Drew Bledsoe - Do I really need to say anymore?  And Ben Roethlisberger. This guy has not played well.

Brown: Which of the nine teams that passed on drafting Matt Leinart, the quarterback of Arizona, made the biggest mistake? 

Boomer: The Oakland Raiders, the Tennessee Titans or the Detroit Lions, all in the same bunch.  All three needed quarterbacks.  I know Tennessee took Vince Young, but I do think Matt Leinart is   going to end up being a better professional.  So I would say, Oakland and Detroit without question.

"NFL TODAY INSIDER" CHARLEY CASSERLY

(On Oakland's Jerry Porter being suspended by team):

Casserly: Last Wednesday and Thursday in practice he refused to take reps with the first and second   team.  Then on Friday when Art Shell had stopped practice to talk to the scout team about a particular way he wanted to run a play, Jerry Porter interrupted him swearing and cursing at him. At that point Shell threw him off the field, suspended him four games, no pay. 

(On Kansas City running back Priest Holmes):

Casserly: I talked to Carl Peterson, the president of the Kansas City Chiefs, he told me he talked to   Priest Holmes. Priest Holmes would like to play.  They'd like to have him back.  They have until Week 12 to make this decision.  It will be up to the doctors.  Is the neck and the spine improved enough from training camp to allow him to play?  We'll have to wait and see. 

(On Jets' Curtis Martin):

Casserly: Curtis Martin wants to play this year. The Jets are non-commital.  We'll have to wait until Week  12. 

(On having a coaches list available):

James Brown: As a G.M., when your team is doing poorly, how soon, if you do at all, do you put together a coaching list of new candidates?

Casserly: I'll tell you what, when that owner walks down the hall and he puts his head in the door, you   better have that list ready.

Brown: The most frequently mentioned names at the collegiate level, Charlie Weis and Kirk Ferentz.  Are either of these guys interested in moving to the NFL?

Casserly: These would be two of the top candidates.  I talked to both of them.  Ferentz said I love it at Iowa.  I'm not going anywhere.  Charlie Weis said same thing, I'm staying at Notre Dame.  I like it here.  I asked Charlie Weis this question.  There are stories out there that there's an escape clause in your contract.  He said no truth to that.  Charlie Weis would have to repay all of his future earnings back to Notre Dame if he left.  Last year he signed a 10-year contract.

¨Lesley Visser's Feature with Pittsburgh Steelers

(Visser asking whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came back to quick):

Roethlisberger: No, I'm glad I came back.  I think it was the right time to come back. I think everything has worked out for a reason. 

Visser: How healthy are you?

Roethlisberger: I feel real healthy.  I got a couple bumps and bruises, but I'm doing well. I've never been a stat guy. The biggest thing for me is winning and losing football games.  If I had the same stats now but we were winning all our games, people wouldn't say a word.

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